(1942-06-20) Epic Munchies
Epic Munchies
Summary: … and now for something completely different.
Date: 1942-06-20
Related: None.
Players:
jesse..clifton..kathleen..

Run Down Church, Higsi
Tue Jun 20, 1942


It is been many decades since this church has seen a service or any upkeep. As with most 19th century, country churches it is just two rooms, a small vestibule at the entrance where worshipers could hang there coats and hats, and than a much larger room lined with wooden pews with a short dais and alter at the front. A large fireplace with a stone surround was used to keep the place warm during the winter, it lays cold and bare now though.

The windows that line the walls to left and right are so dusty then let in little light, but remarkably most are intact, only a couple broken, the glass littering the floor. Dust, small bits of debris, feathers and other animal leavings litter the large room, the rafters have become home to various birds and the chimney is sure to house a colony of bats. Lastly, the roof sags in places and will surely cave in in the near future.

Weather: It is summer. The weather is hot and overcast.

OOC: Bernice = GM


Twilight has come and just past, the night air is starting to cool, losing that oppressiveness of the heat of day. There's still a few fireflies dancing about, but for the moment, the old church is quiet and peaceful.

Jesse hasn't been back up at the Walker Place yet, but he's shown up at the McComb mansion to continue the work on it. He's actually been sleeping there for the last couple of nights but he's beginning to get hungry enough to consider going back for some of Ethel's cooking. It seems a teenager's stomach can overrule heartbreak.

As he makes his way along a familiar path, there's a pause as he comes to the old Church. While he's not much for religion, he's been close to the Preacher and has had only a Bible to read for the last three years. His steps slow as he moves into the church itself, carefully making his way to one of the old pews to sit. Is he praying? It's hard to say but he's awfully quiet.

Clifton often visited this old run down church. It had become a place of escape and peace for him. For plenty of people he figured. That was kind of the point of the building wasn't it? Also as he often did, he had his camera with him and his satchel over his shoulder. His intent was to take some summer shots around town. Figured they might sell well. What better place to start? Looking at the outside of the building he catches an angle, grinning as he envisions the shot and crouches down to take a knee. Aiming…framing…snap. The shot is taken.

It's coming up on a fairly stressful time of the year for Kitty Wright… if it hasn't been stressful enough already. Maddie is going to be turning twelve in four days… four… and birthdays are yet hard for the child due to how much the kid misses her dad. Once a week Kitty comes to the graveyard to make sure her parents' grave is set to rights… like clockwork. Without fail. It's a wholesome, sweet thing to do.. but with Kathleen you have to expect something else. She jauntily strides in through the back of the church with a pail slung by the handle into the crook of her elbow. The pail is full of weeds, debris and… oh. Huh.

She realizes she isn't alone and her feet can be heard ceasing their gait, soles of her boots scuffing lightly on the ramshackle floor. Golden eyes observe young Walker in the pew, watching him as he seeks out a seat. Kathleen will go on watching Jesse for half a minute before piping up.

"Yer a prayin' man, Jesse?" Kitty calls out amicably, not wanting to startle him.

With spoken words, the night sounds seem to come to life as well, some crickets chirp loudly, their noises bouncing around the abandoned building. Besides that, the night seems fairly normal. For now.

<FS3> Jesse rolls Enhanced Senses: Good Success.

Jesse may have been deep in thought for he -is- startled by the voice addressing him. There's a little jump and he grips the back of the pew in front of him before he turns towards the voice. "Me? Nah, was just tired and thought to sit down for a bit…" even though that's kind of only half the truth. He gets up from the pew and starts to move towards the aisle as if to leave. He isn't wearing his sunglasses today.

Leave it to Kitty to pick the evening to work in a graveyard… Maddie is with a friend, overnight Is she creepy, liking to be in a graveyard at night, looking for ghosts? Nah. It's less likely that she'll be seen by people she knows… maybe having a sentimental moment. Maybe not. None of your business! As the sun set proper it was time to head home, and there she found Jesse, sitting silently in this old place. Who she managed to startle.. he must have been drifting far.

Padding forward, not to go to Jesse immediately but toward the front entrance of the old church, Kitty pauses to watch him make to leave. Something doesn't look right here. "I can leave, don't be makin' to do so if yer wanting to stay…" She trails off, considering. Yeah, something is off.. he's nothing like the teasing thing she sprayed with a hose. She adjusts the pail, something metallic clanking within. "Ya okay? D'ya need anything?" Kitty asks gruffly, looking at his sightless eyes.

<FS3> Clifton rolls Alertness: Success.

Clifton stays outside for a moment longer, taking a few other shots and smiling as the night starts to sound with life. As he starts towards the church he hears noise coming from inside. Voices? He picks up one…then two familiar voices. Kitty and then Jesse. He was back? Part of him wants to venture inside…to check on his cousin. He thinks for a moment though and stops. If he was still processing things maybe it wouldn't help to see a face from the mountains so soon. Maybe he'd prefer just Kitty's company. Or solitude. Ugh what's a stuck-in-the-middle cousin to do!?!

There's a brief pause as Kathleen asks if he's ok but he finally shrugs, "Nah, I'll live. Just…life, you know?" Jesse tries to smile but it doesn't quite make it. "Thanks for askin' though." Does he really look that morose? He'll have to figure that out so that he's a little less obvious. "I can head out though if you were wantin' some time alone."

Don't let her fool you, Kathleen is pretty perceptive.. but the beauty part is she doesn't push it. Her jaw works briefly as she nods to Jesse's words, her shoulders shrugging. "Life.. bitchy and sweet all th' same." She muses, reaching into her pail and pulling out a flask. Also in honor of her poor ol' Daddy. Her other arm lifts, the pail clanking, to uncork a flask. The dark spiced rum is brought to her lips for a quick hit as she considers. "I ain't needin' to be alone. Was just workin' out back and figured it's time to get on." She admits before taking another step forward.

"Were you gonna be stayin' here the night?" Kathleen asks suddenly, running on a hunch. She is standing just in the entrance now, ready to depart but simultaneous curious and concerned as she drinks her booze in a former church. The gossips would slaughter her.

Clifton spots Kitty as she comes to the entrance, biting his lip a moment before figuring what the hell. If it got awkward he could leave. Or maybe this meant Jesse was back and he'd be glad to see him. "Hey, Kitty!" he calls out as he steps towards the Church now, coming up to the entrance with his camera and pausing after he steps inside. Seeing Jesse in the pew. "Hey, Jesse. Glad to see you."

<FS3> Clifton rolls Alertness: Good Success.
<FS3> Jesse rolls Alertness: Failure.

While the three people talk, there's a weird feeling. Not wholly uncomfortable, but oddness that comes over the church. Very few things can rival a run down church for awe, but that's the case suddenly. Everyone feels that. But only Clifton sees, back away from where everyone is congregating (ha), a shadow passes in one of the tall windows. Something is outside, and big.

Jesse starts to shake his head to Kathleen but he pauses when he hears another familiar voice. "Hey, Clifton," again, there's that attempt at a smile that doesn't quite make it. "Hey. I got kinda hungry," is offered in explanation. He starts to say something else but then he pauses as there's a strange sensation that passes over the Church. Is that normal?

Clifton offers a nod to Jesse as he explains "Well still. It's good to see you." Doesn't mention coming back to the mountain. Not sure if his cousin is to that point yet. It really was good to see him though. If nothing else he could assure Ethel and Clyde that he was alright. His thoughts are disrupted by the…odd…feeling that comes over him. Over the whole church it feels like. It surrounds the place and draws Clif's attention to the back windows.

Brow furrowing and form tensing as he catches sight of the shadow, especially it's size, Clifton hands his camera over to Kathleen while keeping his eyes on the shadow as it moves. Or trying. "Take…this to Jesse's pew for me…" He then proceeds to do what any idiot would do in the movies. Clif makes his way towards the front door of the church.

Well, idiot indeed. As Clifton starts walking towards the doors. A low rumble, almost the sound of metal groaning but organic can be heard. The origin is from whatever's outside the window…and high.

Jesse turns his head towards Clifton, listening as he mentions putting something in his pew. "It ain't my…" he starts, but then he hears the odd groaning coming from outside. "Kathleen…is there a…whatsit called? Platform? Pulpit at the back? Go there please." Because they can't be fully effective if they have an audience.

Fuck sake! Kathleen, knowing the value of the camera, takes it back into the church and into the pew. You can bet she's going to the altar, but for reasons of her own making. Give her a minute.. if she hears things getting nasty, she isn't about to let her friend go down! She just has to… look! But for what?

Clifton lofts a brow and spins back towards the back of the church. Well this wasn't good at all. Moving shadows and metal groaning. "Jesse…I'm gonna' check it out…stay in here with Kathleen. Just in case." If something did go down and it happened inside the Church, he'd feel better knowing one of them was in here with her. Call it him still being on edge after the robbery.

The shadow seems to have stopped about half way up the church. That strange noise is still happening, although now that the occupants of said church are listening, there's also so rustling of leaves up in the trees.

Jesse bristles when he's told to stay back…even if it's to make sure Kathleen is all right, it doesn't sit well with him, especially now. As he hears the woman move past him, he turns to her, "Don't you be doin' anything foolish. I don't need Clifton mad at me too because I let you run off and get eaten by somethin'."

Kitty ain't dumb; she knows these boys can throw down and she isn't the fretful sort. Setting down her pail as she grunts noncommittally at Jesse, the woman takes a long draw from her flask. A little burp out the side of her mouth, and she puffs the out the boozey air as she kneels to pick up something of interest. Eyes flash as Kitty hefts up a nice chunk of wood from a pew that some kids vandalized: about the same size and weight as a baseball bat. That'll do. "Ain't of a mind to be a fool, Walker. Got too much t'live for."

Lowering herself to sit at the bottom of the altar as if in prayer, Kitty instead drinks more. She can vaguely hear what's afoot outside.. mostly that odd sound and the leaves rustling. She rests the piece of wood across the tops of her knees and waits, watching Jesse and the door beyond him for a moment.

"If yer comin' down to smite me for drinking in th' graveyard, o Lord, quit makin' weird sounds and get on with it." Kathleen grunts toward the rafters. She's on edge…

Checking back to make sure the other two were situated, Clifton then looks back to the front door and steps outside. Once there, he'd look up at the trees with the noise they were making. He'd also turn himself around to face the Church now, trying to look above it and stepping around to the side cautiously. Keeping his senses and attention alert, sniffing the air.

There's one tree top that seems to be moving more than just the breeze. Once to the side of the church, it's not difficult to see what is there, although what it is is still up in the air. It's big, tall. On four legs like a deer, but near the height of a two story house. It's got it's head in the tree currently, the thick long neck moving in time with the rustling leaves. It smells too of a creature that Clifton's never encountered.

Jesse hears Kathleen settle down by the altar so he moves a little closer to the doorway that Clifton went to. "What is it?" he tries to ask his cousin, frowning at what he hears. It seems like it's coming from above…that can't be good, right? "Do we need to go out?"

It's killing her… sorry Jesse. For what it's worth, Kathleen won't go outside! Padding along she joins the young fellow at the doorway, straining to get some semblance of a peek and a listen to what's going on beyond the dilapidated church walls. Pail in one hand, big stick in the other.. tension just rolls off of her, however controlled her expression. She, too, is not digging how these sounds are coming from 'above'.

Clifton sees the moving tree, following it along as he walks around the side. Before seeing what it is that's standing there. What's more is as he's watching it, he smells it's scent. A foreign unfamiliar scent. Maybe he should be on guard? Terrified even…but…he's not. Right now he just stands in a state of awe at the creature, the likes of which he has never seen before. Jesse's question falls on deaf ears, Clifton standing in place around to the side of the church just starting up at this creature. A small smile tugs at the corner of his lips. "Whoa…" he whispers.

The beast continues to eat, either not sensing the werewolf, or not caring.

"Whoa?" Yeah, Jesse heard that. He turns to scowl at Kathleen as she joins him, "You were supposed to stay back." But he's not smelling blood or hearing fighting. "Clif? What is it?" Says the blind Walker. His nostrils flare as he tries to take in the scent of whatever might be out there.

"Don't regularly do what I'm supposed t'do." Kathleen offers, partly teasing, partly defiant. She's not hearing bloodcurdling screaming or sounds of pain.. and perhaps much to Jesse's further frustration, he may hear the foolish thing traipsing out the door and out of the church! Gah! Women! Kathleen knows to step softly and keep her sound to a minimum, and as she creeps along she sees Clif first and then.. oh….

oh.

Kathleen stares outright, expression caught in a rare expression of incredulous, utterly astounded shock. She's too startled to even dump out the rest of the flask because is she SEEING things…? Her mouth moves, soundlessly pronouncing some manner of expletive.. but she is as silent as the graves out back. Eyes fill her face.

<FS3> Clifton rolls Alertness: Success.

Despite the shock and awe of the beast in front of him…Clifton still manages to hear Kathleen as she approaches. Attention snapping in her direction he just grins. Again, maybe it should be terror instead. But right now it's just amazement. Even excitement! "Just…look at it, Kat…" He looks back to it as it goes at the leaves. "I've never seen anything like it. Have you? Are these normal around here?" What the hell kind of mutant deer was it!?!

It smells like a deer…kinda? But much, much larger. It's hard to pinpoint for Jesse, beyond something he's never smelled before. Besides the strange noise, now that they're closer and listening better, there's a bit of vibration to it, almost humming, the creature stays where it is, tree branch jerking slightly as it does whatever it is found up there. Way up there.

Jesse starts forward as Kathleen moves past him, but he doesn't pull her back. Fine. Let her deal with her own impetuousness. As Clifton doesn't actually answer him and speaks to Kathleen instead as she joins him, there's a little slump to his shoulders. He should have figured. They got Clifton too. There's a shake of his head as he makes his way to one of the other doors of the Church to just leave.

He -was- going to go back to the homestead tonight. Now, forget it. He'll just go back and sleep somewhere else.

"I…" Kitty starts, for once at a loss for words. She doesn't approach, standing midway between where Clifton gazes up at the… what-the-fuck-is-that and the church. Aware of Jesse approaching, Kathleen turns to look over a shoulder at him, mouth pursed and ready to describe to him what they are both seeing. But—-huh? He's leaving..? She wants to holler to him to get him to come back, her eyes narrowing and jaw working to hiss a whisper. "Jesse. Jesse," Sounds more like a snarl. She knows nothing of what is going on in the fellow's head; sure she's barely heard of strife in Clif's family, of something going on.. but most is beyond her.

An anxious look back to the creature as it dines and Clif as he yet remains frozen in awe. What the hell is going to happen, now? Aware of the vibrating.. the humming… Kathleen is no nail biter by nature but she needs to do something. She gnaws on a thumb, hooking her other finger into one of her pockets. A quick look sideward for Jesse, "Ya gotta se… hear this." She tries again, is he too far gone?

The chewing stops, as does the humming. There's movement and a deer like head pushes past the leaves and sniffs the air. Long legs fidget, one wolf isn't a problem, two isa pack that can take it down. The beast is now nervous, and shifts again, ready to move.

<FS3> Kathleen rolls Mind: Success.

"Shh, shh shh.. ain't gonna hurt ya." Kathleen deems the blind Walker a lost cause as he disappears into the church, her brow furrowing. What the hell? Golden eyes watch those long legs move and she thinks to herself, where the hell is it going to go? And how? She is no animal(?!?)-whisperer but she knows not to go on like a fool and make a lot of frantic noise or movements. Hopefully with one werewolf departing, this will ease it's tension some. Kathleen even puts down her stick.. see? Hands up, voice soft… only person in this life to hear her voice so gentle is Maddie.

"All good. Just gonna stand by and watch ya eat. Some good leaves huh? I get hungry like that too y'know." Kathleen talks for the sake of talking, trying to sound soothing. She lowers herself to sit cross-legged, hands resting in her lap. See? No threat.

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, the tall creature has gotten the scent of the pack. It's ears flick as it tosses it's head. And then, without much grace, it turns and lumbers in the opposite direction of the people and werewolves. Where will it go indeed? Not here it seems, and it's fast. There will be no chasing it on foot.

Caught up looking at it's deer-like head, Kathleen jerks to her feet purely out of reaction to the creature deigning to move. To retreat. She backs up toward the church, resting her shoulder blades against the weather-beaten wall as she watches the beast make it's getaway. Her mouth presses into a watchful line, not even having it in her to speak. She will not chase the creature, she will only hope that it gets out of this part of town without being noticed. Seeing as how this is the 'rough' end, most are either face down arse up in the Gallows are not out and about.

Edging her way toward the rapt Clifton, Kitty grabs his elbow and gestures to the church. "Let's go.. give it a chance to run. Don't forget yer camera." She manages to croak.

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